This April 9, 2023 photo shows a J-15 fighter ready to take off from aircraft carrier Shandong during the combat readiness patrol and military exercises around Taiwan Island carried out by the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

The Chinese military "will not be soft-handed" if anyone attempts to separate Taiwan from China by any means, a senior official with the People's Liberation Army warned on Monday.

General Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum on Monday.

"The Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests, and the one-China principle is the consensus of the international community," he added.

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Zhang emphasized that China advocates for respecting each country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, respecting each country's core interests and major concerns, and respecting the development path and social system chosen by the people of each country.

He said that countries must attach importance to and accommodate each other's legitimate security concerns, should not impose their own will on others and should not prioritize their own interests above others.

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Furthermore, countries should not build their own security upon the insecurity of others, and should not intentionally provoke others on sensitive and significant issues, the senior military official added.